Since the coronavirus lockdown began, usage of video chat and teleconferencing apps has grown significantly as employees and consumers around the world utilize them to participate in virtual meetings, cocktail parties, trivia contests, and Easter and Passover celebrations. Zoom in particular has hit the mainstream in a big way, reporting a 151% increase in daily […]
Lending a Helping Hand
Many companies active in the global licensing and consumer products business are doing what they can to support medical professionals and consumers during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to being the right thing to do, their efforts help keep some of their workers employed, utilize existing capacity and already-purchased materials, and give them a positive […]
Cover Your Mouth
After first saying cloth facemasks were not effective in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now encouraging Americans to wear masks whenever they are in the presence of other people, outside of those with whom they are self-isolating. Governments in Europe and other parts […]
A Full-Court Press for Chinese Sportswear Firms
China continues to get back to business after the Covid-19 outbreak, which peaked in that country from mid-January through early to mid-March. As a result, the leading Chinese sportswear and footwear companies are still hopeful they can come out of a terrible first half with positive numbers for the year as a whole. Anta, the […]
Learning Through Travel
Before the COVID-19 pandemic put the travel industry on ice, the practice of pairing licenses with vacation travel services, cruise lines, and other travel-related businesses had been on a long upward trajectory. One sector within that broader trend, illustrated by a recently announced deal between Thrillest and Academic Travel Abroad, consists of packages that put […]
Taking Cereal in a New Direction
Since about 2018, cereal companies have been frequently forging inbound licensing deals or other forms of partnership with marketers of sweet snacks, from candy to cookies to ice cream. The result has been a proliferation of breakfast foods such as Nestlé Drumstick cereal from General Mills, Peeps cereal from Kellogg’s, and Hostess Twinkies cereal from […]
Brands Practice Self-Distancing
By Karen Raugust on March 26, 2020 in Branding/marketing, Corporate brands, Design and content themes, Licensing
A number of brands—many of which are involved in licensing in some way—have gotten creative with their logos as a means of stressing the critical importance of self-distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19. These tweaks simultaneously engage the brands’ fans and boost awareness during a difficult time for most businesses. Examples include: Mercado Libre. […]
There’s No Place Like Home
As most of us are currently self-isolating at home, it seems like a good time to take a look at licensing and brand extension opportunities in the housing space. Occasionally over the years, licensors have focused not just on the traditional home goods categories, such as furniture, dishes, and décor, but have also lent their […]
Hooked on Knitting and Crochet
The knitting and crocheting space represents one of the niche opportunities whose rise can be attributed to the Maker and Urban Craft movements over the past 15 years. Interest in knitting and crocheting has grown among all age groups, particularly millennials and Gen Zs. As a result, a number of properties—from pop culture icons to […]
More Visibility for Disability
By Karen Raugust on March 16, 2020 in Character/Entertainment, Demographic groups, Licensing, Toys/Games
Over the past several years there has been a focus on diversity and inclusion of all types in advertising, content, and consumer products. The introduction of characters with physical and mental disabilities has been a recent manifestation of this trend, with more and more examples in the toy and children’s entertainment industries, especially in the […]